There are already 3.6 million youngsters living in poverty and one in four are ­suffering as their parents struggle to make ends meet. The Institute of Fiscal Studies predicts the future will be bleaker, with 300,000 more children being plunged into poverty by 2015/2016 due to Tory-led Coalition policies. By 2020 4.2 million youngsters are expected to poverty-hit.

Child welfare charities yesterday ­blasted the Government over cuts and benefits freezes hitting the most vulnerable.

Barnardo’s figures revealed some hard-up families live on £12 per person per day, and struggle to cover the cost of food, electricity, water, gas and bus fares.

Director Neera Sharma said yesterday: “We need action now to help these families so hardship is alleviated. The Government could be doing something about energy company tariffs and access to bank accounts and low interest loans.”

Save The Children’s Chris Wellings added: “We are really concerned about child poverty. We see children missing out on school trips, new clothes or the chance to celebrate a special occasion.

“It limits children’s life chances – they are less likely to do well at school.”

He called on the Government to reduce childcare costs so parents could afford to go out to work and to make sure bosses offered mums and dads a “living wage”.

Leading man: Ed Miliband (Photo: Getty)

Mr Miliband’s massive ComRes poll lead is the largest Labour advantage since March 2005 – when struggling Tory leader Michael Howard trailed then-PM Tony Blair. Labour is up two points on 43 per cent, the Tories down two on 31 per cent with the Lib Dems unchanged on 10 per cent, just ahead of UKIP on eight per cent.

If there was a General Election now, our figures would give Labour a 120-seat ­majority in the Commons with the Tories losing 103 seats. There was more pressure for Mr Cameron as those surveyed slammed the decision of maverick Tory MP Nadine Dorries to join the cast of ITV show I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! A huge 73 per cent said ­politicians should not go on reality TV shows while they are still MPs.

There was also fierce opposition to the £1.32million pay-off awarded to former BBC boss George Entwistle – who quit after the furore over Newnight’s coverage of the paedophile scandal.

A total of 77 per cent said the former Director General should not have ­received the money when he quit his £450,000 job after just 54 days. An overwhelming 84 per cent also want major companies like Starbucks, Google and Amazon to pay full UK taxes.

Mr Miliband said the poll showed the Government was failing ordinary families. The Labour leader also highlighted the Tories’ humiliating defeat in the Corby by-election last Thursday after the party’s high-profile MP Louise Mensch quit to move her family to the US.

Mr Miliband said: “Every day families are seeing their living standards squeezed. David Cameron could have taken on the ­energy companies to bring down bills, reformed the banks to get more loans to businesses or got tough with the train companies. Instead, he chose to give a tax break to millionaires and raise taxes on everyone else. This is why there is increasing disappointment with David Cameron.

“As we saw in Corby, it is why the ­country is turning to One Nation Labour.”

*ComRes interviewed 2,024 adults online between November 14 and 16.

- Sir Terry Wogan spoke of the crisis at the BBC as he introduced a Children In Need clip but did not name Jimmy Savile. He said: “Children should be able to trust adults, our role is to protect them. Sadly, as we know, there are times when adults abuse that trust.”